The Life of Sunshine Adel
by Gothic Skittle
Summary: [What's Eating Gilbert Grape fic] Sunshine goes to live with the Carvers, but little did she know her life was about to take a major turn. She meets the love of her life, but can she keep him?
1. Default Chapter

SETTING: This story takes place during the movie, but before Becky comes on the scene. Bonnie and Ken Carver are still alive. 

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters except Sunshine, Lana, Deshell, Edna, Angelo, and I will most likely put some made up characters in later chapters.

"Things are not always what they seem. Just because someone sings hymns doesn't mean they are religious, just because someone prays doesn't mean they believe there is a God. And just because someone smiles doesn't mean they're not depressed. All in all you need to watch, and try your hardest to find the truth, for the truth will guide you always." 

My mother spoke these words more than once throughout her lifetime. She really believed it too, up until the last moment of her life. She died the day before my eighteenth birthday of some unknown illness, leaving me to be on my own for the rest of my life.

My name is Sunshine, Sunshine Adel. I am now 27 years of age and am *still* five foot seven inches tall. I weigh 155 pounds and I now live in Colorado. My hair is long, classified as brown or dirty 'dishwater' blonde, if it was my real colour, but I bleach it. I don't always get my roots so I guess that it could also be classified as two tone blonde, if you want to call it that. I have two holes in each ear and never wear the same earrings. My shoe size is 9 1/2, if anybody cares. 

My mother's name was Edna, Edna Markson, but always call her Mami. Her and my father split up shortly after they had me, so I never knew him. I only knew that his name was Angelo, and was part Spanish. I guess that's why I never needed to take Spanish in school. 

My mother and I lived in Canada for a while, almost all my life. She became sick when I was 10, so I had to practically raise myself. I learned how to cook, clean, and garden and kept everything up while Mami was in the hospital, which was usually all the time. She'd come home for a week or so and then be right back in intensive care. She was so fragile, but she was strong. When I was 13, I got a job working as a mail deliverer and got paid five dollars a week. We weren't rich, and we were below average so naturally I learned how to make my own clothes until I got the money to buy them, which wasn't very often, and between trying to keep the shelves full and paying for Mami's medical bills there wasn't very much money left. My life was hard, but it got harder as I got older because I had to realize that Mami was getting worse. The doctors couldn't find out what was wrong with her. So while they were researching, testing, researching and testing some more, she was slipping away by the minute. She died on September 9th, at 10:08 AM, the day before I turned 18. 

The doctors tried to put me in an orphanage, but by law I was an adult so they lost. I lived in the same house that I had lived in when Mami was alive for about a year or so after her death, but then the house got to me. I had a nervous breakdown and one of my close friends recommended me to a shrink. I went, thinking that my friend was only trying to help out, but little did I know that she was in a way against me. I met with the shrink, a forty-year-old woman named Deshell, and we became friends. Then about a month after I started meeting with Deshell, I found that the friend that recommended me was trying to get the hospital to diagnose me as mentally ill and put me in a special hospital for it. I got angry so I left. I packed my things without telling a soul and moved to the United States to live with my Aunt and Uncle Carver, to a little town called Endora. 


	2. Family Secret

Sunshine arrived at the Carver residence, where she had been living with her mother's sister and brother in law for about six months. She looked out the window and noticed a yellow truck parked in the driveway. _Must me Mrs. Betterman. _She thought. She parked her car alongside the street and shut off the engine as she opened her door and got out. She shut the door and started walking towards the house, turning her body halfway facing the car long enough to press the button to lock it. She reached the door and tried the knob, only to find that it was locked. She fished in her purse for her key, found it, and opened the door. She took off her sunglasses as she entered the house, setting her keys and purse on the table next to the door. She walked back to her bedroom for a moment to get a hair tie, walking back towards the front of the house as she put up her hair and called out into the emptiness.

"Hello?" She started walking to the kitchen.

"Aunt Betty!? Boys!? I'm hom--" She stopped dead in her tracks, staring at the sight before her. Her aunt was making out with the delivery boy from Lamson's Grocery. Sunshine just stood there, staring at them as they frantically tried to straighten their clothes out. They both looked at her and then at each other. Her aunt was the first to say anything.

"Sunny, baby," She started walking towards Sunshine, but Sunshine turned and ran down the hall into her bedroom and slammed the door shut, locking it, then turning on her music as far up as the volume could go. Betty banged on the door.

"Sunny, just lemme talk to you, let me explain!" Sunshine just layed on her bed, thinking about it. She couldn't believe that her aunt was cheating. Why? The first thing that she ever said when Sunshine started living with them was the whole trust, loyalty, respect and responsibility thing. She just crushed all her lectures ever held. Again, her aunt's voice rung out from behind the door.

"Sunny, open the door and lemme talk to you!" Sunshine took off one of her shoes and threw it at the door. 

"Just go away and leave me alone! I don't need an explanation, I got an eyeful of one!" Sunshine turned to lay on her side as a tear rolled down her cheek. The banging and yelling continued for about five minutes then came to an abrupt stop. 

Outside the door, Betty was stopped by the boy grabbing her hand. 

"Let me talk to her." He said. Betty gave him an uncertain look.

"Please?" He asked as he ran into Betty's bedroom and grabbed her coat. He came back into the hallway and thrust it at her, along with his truck keys.

"Take my truck, and take the boys. Leave, like take them to ice cream or something and let me try to reason with her, ok? Just let me talk to her." Betty stood there for a few minutes, holding the keys and the coat while she debated the issue with herself.

"Ok." She said finally. "Ok, just don't say anything stupid." The boy was puzzled at this statement and a little angry. Betty started walking towards the front door as he called after her.

"Like what? I'm gonna break it off? God." 

He waited until he heard the truck take off down the road and then he knocked on Sunshine's door. He could hear Sunshine answer from inside the room.

"What?" She turned down her music and threw her suitcase on the bed. 

"Can I come in?" The boy said as he put his hand on the doorknob. There was silence and then he felt the knob turn in his hand. He took a step back as the door opened to reveal a medium height blonde beauty wearing a black shirt with a black pair of pants standing in the doorway. She rolled her eyes, walked back to her suitcase and started folding her clothes into it. 

"I'm sorry, I didn't know that they had someone else living with them." Sunshine stopped and looked at the boy. He was a tall; a good looking, thin guy with rather dented in cheeks and pouty lips. His hair was between a red and a brown, though Sunshine couldn't really tell exactly what colour it was. He stood there, looking at her, wearing a plaid button up shirt and blue jeans, covered by a white apron and brown jacket. Sunshine rolled her eyes and began packing again.

"It doesn't matter whether or not I live with them! What you and Aunt Betty are doing is wrong. They're MARRIED! You know, they have wedding bands and kids?" She stopped to look at him, waiting for an answer. He walked over to the bed and sat down, facing her. His eyes were down, and he had a regretful look on his face. Finally he spoke.

"I know. I'm really sorry. I wish I could speak for Mrs. Carver too." He looked back at Sunshine, who closed her suitcase and grabbed a big zip up bag from the closet. Sunshine looked at him as she started putting the rest of her stuff in the bag.

"No you're not. If you were then you'd break it off." She stopped and stared at him as he shook his head.

"I know I need to, but I can't." He looked back up at Sunshine. Sunshine shook her head as she started putting her belongings in the bag again. She stopped for a second and wiped a tear from her cheek. He stood up from the bed and took a step towards her.

"Don't come near me." She said as she stormed past him, finishing her packing. When she was done she sat cross-legged on the bed and held her head in her hands and began to cry. He sat next to her and hugged her even though she put up a fight and tried to push him away. Just then her Aunt Betty appeared in the doorway. Sunshine wiped her eyes and stood up, grabbing her bag and her suitcase.

"Sunny, what are you doing?" Betty said, looking from Sunshine to the boy. Sunshine pushed through the doorway as she said, 

"I'm leaving. There's a nice family that has a room for rent and I'm the new tenant. They interviewed me over the phone and everything." Betty looked at the boy and ran down the hallway to catch Sunshine.

"Sunny-" 

"You have no right to call me that. My name is Sunshine Adel, and I no longer live here." Sunshine put on her glasses and let down her hair, combing it back with her fingers. She grabbed her purse and keys and said goodbye to her Aunt and the boys. She put her stuff in her car, and got in, about to start the engine. The boy waved at her and she politely waved in response. 

"There she goes." The boy said as the four of them stood there, silently watching her drive away.


	3. The Grapes

There was a knock on the door of the Grape's residence and Ellen screamed at the top of her lungs as usual for someone to open the door.

"Amy! I bet it's for you!" She sat at the table in the kitchen putting on more lipstick. Amy walked past her into the front room. 

"You know Ellen, you could help your sister out some too." Their mother called into the kitchen from the living room. Amy reached the door and looked through the peephole, turned back and announced the visitor.

"I think it's the new tenant." Amy said as she opened the door to find Sunshine standing there, both her suitcase and bag in hand. 

"Hi!" Amy smiled at Sunshine. "I'm Amy, I'm the oldest girl of the family...here, would you like to come in?" She motioned for Sunshine to enter the house, taking the suitcase from her and setting it by the stairs. "You can put your bag next to your suitcase, I'm sure that you want to meet everyone, don't you?" Amy took the bag from Sunshine and set it next to the suitcase.

"Yes." Sunshine said, "I'd like to meet them." Amy took Sunshine's arm and escorted her into the front room where Arnie and Bonnie were sitting, watching a television program. Arnie was really skinny, with brown-blonde hair. Bonnie was a large woman with black hair, but she was a kind, gentle, sweetheart.

"Sunshine, this is my mother, Bonnie, and my brother, Arnie. Momma, Arnie, this is the tenant of the room upstairs. This is Sunshine Adel." Sunshine shook Bonnie's hand and gave Arnie a hug, then stood up and took a step back. Bonnie smiled at her and then spoke.

"It's nice to have you renting that room, Sunshine." Sunshine broke in eagerly.

"You guys can just call me Sunny for short. I answer to both." 

"Well then, alright, Sunny, it's nice to have you staying with us." 

"Thanks Bonnie." Bonnie motioned for Sunshine to give her a hug, so naturally, Sunny did. They could hear Amy calling for Sunshine from the kitchen.

"Sunny! Sunny! Come here!" Sunny dashed into the kitchen to find Amy standing behind Ellen, a short brunette who was fifteen years old. 

"Sunny, this is my sister Ellen, Ellen this is Sunny, the woman who is renting the room upstairs." Ellen started playing with one of her earrings as she mumbled a 'Hi' then ran outside at the sound of a vehicle pulling up outside. Amy looked after her.

"That must be Gilbert coming back from work. I sure hope he remembered the groceries." She turned back to Sunny. "Here, follow me and I'll show you you're room. Then you can meet my other brother, Gilbert." Amy smiled a little as she and Sunny grabbed Sunny's bags and headed up the stairs. "You might like him." Sunny laughed a little at the comment as she followed Amy down the hall and into a fairly large room that was empty, except for a bed, a table, a lamp, and a dresser. Amy put the bag on the bed and turned back to Sunny. "I'm serious!" 

"Yeah." Ellen said, coming into the room behind them. "Really you might, and it'd be a good thing too." Sunny put her suitcase on the bed next to the bag.

"Really Ellen, why's that?" Sunny looked back at her.

"Cuz he really needs a woman." Ellen said and then disappeared down the stairs, leaving Amy and Sunny laughing insanely. 

"Well," Amy said after a few minutes, "You want to come down and meet Gilbert?" Sunny glanced at the bed.

"I probably should start unpacking first." She said as she unzipped her suitcase and started filling the dresser drawers with her clothes.

"Need help?" Amy asked as she opened the bag and started laying things on the bed next to the suitcase for Sunny to pick up and place where she wanted them. 

"No, really it's ok. You probably have stuff to do." Sunny smiled at Amy as Amy left. Sunny went along her business, putting clothes in the dresser drawers, placing nick knacks on the windowsill and making her bed and such, finally down to the last thing that needed to be unpacked, her stereo. She found a nice spot to put it on the desk table that sat opposite side of the room than the window. She set it up and then turned on a mixed CD, not too loud, but loud enough for her to be able to think. She needed noise if she wanted to think clearly about things, and her Aunt's situation with the delivery boy, or man. Sunny layed on her bed thinking. _He's about my age. _She thought. She'd seen him at the Cafe, the first day she started working there and every morning on forward. She liked him, and was going to ask him to go with her to that concert that was coming up in about a week and a half. _Who am I kidding? _She knew that he wouldn't go with her now, he was too wound up in her aunt to care. A tear slid down her cheek as she was thinking of this. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Sunny wiped the tears from her eyes as she sat up, straightened out her hair, and layed back down again.

"Who is it?" 

"It's Amy." The voice rung out from behind the door. "I've got Gilbert with me, he wants to meet you." Sunny sat up a little bit, but still leaned up against the wall, half-lying on the bed.

"Go ahead, come in." Sunny layed there, sitting up and hugging her knees, singing along with the song as the door opened. Behind Amy appeared the tall, reddish-brown haired delivery boy from her aunt's house. Sunny felt her stomach churn. 

"Sunny, this is my brother Gilbert, Gilbert, this is the new tenant, Sunny." Gilbert acted as if nothing happened, as if he'd never seen Sunny before in his life. He smiled and waved hello as Amy turned to leave. 

"I have to start dinner, you two get acquainted." She walked out of the room, leaving Gilbert, Sunny, and a whole lot of silence. Gilbert stood there, staring at Sunny, who refused to look him in the face.

"If you want me to go, I'll leave you alone." Gilbert said, not wanting to make Sunny upset even more. Sunny nodded.

"I have nothing to say to you." Sunny responded as Gilbert nodded and then left the room. A few minutes later, Ellen appeared, brushing out her hair. 

"Amy wanted me to tell you that dinner will be at six, alright?" Sunny nodded and then said, "Tell Amy that I most likely won't come down, I have something to think about." Ellen smiled and left, closing the door behind her.


	4. A Story Told

"Gilbert!" Gilbert hurried into the kitchen to help Amy move the table into the living room in front of Bonnie, where the family always ate. Ellen grabbed chairs, one extra for Sunny, and then helped Amy bring the food out. They all sat down ready to eat, when someone wondered aloud.

"Where's Sunny?" Bonnie asked, glancing from one kid to the next, skipping over Arnie. Gilbert looked sad, regretful, and apologetic. He closed his eyes and shook his head, indicating that he didn't know where she was. Ellen spoke up.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, she told me to tell Amy that she most likely wouldn't come down." Ellen took a sip of her milk.

"Did she say why?" Amy stood up as she responded.

"No, except she did say that she had to think about something. She looked like she was about to cry though, I think something's wrong with her." Ellen placed her glass back on the table and looked up at Amy. 

"You gonna go see what's wrong?" Amy nodded and walked up the stairs without a word. 

Sunny sat on her bed, her head in her hands, singing along with the song blaring out of the stereo, trying to cheer up. 

//I want a platinum blonde life,

So I keep bleaching out the colour,

I try to do what I oughta,

But never drink enough water..//

Sunny was interrupted by a bang on the door, and then Amy's voice.

"Can I come in a minute?" 

Sunny got up, turned down the music, then opened the door as she wiped the tears from her cheek. Amy stood there a moment then gave her a hug and motioned for Sunny to sit back down.

"Sunny, what's the matter?" 

"Nothing, nothing, just thinking of things."

"What type of things?"

"Family issues."

"I see." Amy sat down next to Sunny and put an arm around her. "Tell me." 

Sunny shook her head.

"It's a long story." 

"I've got time."

Sunny took a deep breath and then nodded. She sighed as she began her story.

"My parents were never married, Momma died when I was eighteen. I'm twenty now. I came to Endora to live with my Aunt Betty-" Amy cut her off.

"Betty Carver?" 

Sunny nodded. "Yes, Betty Carver." 

Amy stopped and thought a minute, then told her to go on.

"When I first arrived here, Aunt Betty gave me her lecture on trust, loyalty, respect and responsibility, the one thing she was most famous in the family for. So everything started going fine, and I got a job at that little Cafe in town that everyone goes to, right? Well, I see this guy, your brother, Gilbert, coming in every morning with his friends. I take interest, and I was starting to work up the nerve to ask him to that concert coming up. So I come home from work today and what do I find? Aunt Betty all over Gilbert in the kitchen. I-" Sunny stopped and started crying heavily. Amy hugged her and shushed her quietly, wanting her to finish her last statement. Once Sunny got control of herself she wiped the tears from her eyes and then spoke with aggression.

"I want to hate them both but I can't- Well, I can't hate Gilbert, anyway. I have no reason to talk to my Aunt any longer." Amy stood up and then responded.

"I would be the same way if I was in your position. The family wants you to eat with us, so you go ahead and get cleaned up, and I'm going to have a little chat with Gilbert." Amy hugged Sunny and showed her where the bathroom was, and then went back downstairs where everyone had already begun eating, slowly.

"She ok?" Bonnie asked, watching Amy coming down the steps. 

"Yeah, she's going to be down in a minute. Gilbert?" Amy stopped in front of the table. Gilbert looked up.

"Yeah?" 

"I need to talk to you in the kitchen."

"Ok, in a while."

"No." Amy said sternly. "Now."  
Gilbert nodded his head and got up, following Amy into the kitchen just as Sunny started down the staircase.

"Sorry to keep you all waiting." She said as she took her seat at the table.

"That's alright," Bonnie said in a cheerful voice, "You've had a lot of unpacking to do." 

"Yeah, kinda." Sunny said as she began to put a little bit of food on her plate. They had hotdogs, salad and some kind of pasta. Sunny worked around the hotdogs, avoiding them without being held center of attention. She caught sight of Amy yelling at Gilbert in the kitchen, but looked away quickly. She was able to hold a nice conversation with Ellen and Bonnie, somewhat with Arnie until the two of them came back. 

"Sorry." Amy said as she went to sit down in between Arnie and Ellen. Gilbert took his place in between Arnie and Sunny. Sunny felt her stomach drop this time, wondering what Amy had said. She tried hard to not think about anything, just focus on the meal and the choice conversation of the evening. 

"So, Sunny," Bonnie said, taking a drink of her milk. "Where do you work? I assume you have a job." She set the glass on the table and glanced at Sunny. Sunny dabbed at her mouth with her napkin and then cleared her throat as she directed the answer of the question to Bonnie.

"I actually started working at the cafe in town...I can't remember the name of it, but I work with Lana and Gretchen..." Bonnie smiled in recognition.

"Oh, I know which one you're talking about...Gilbert, isn't that the one that you go to every morning for coffee?" Gilbert coughed a little and croaked a small "yes" barely loud enough to hear. 

"Gilbert?" 

"Yes, Momma?"

"What's wrong?"

"Ahem, nothing, I'm fine. Just had a bad day, that's all." Gilbert got up and cleared his plate, then went up the stairs. Bonnie and the rest of the group looked after him in wonder.

"What's that about!?" Ellen said with an angry look. "He's supposed to stay!" Ellen slammed her arms on the table and then ran up the stairs after Gilbert. Bonnie was puzzled.

"What's wrong with them?" She said, directing the question toward Amy. Amy shook her head. 

"I'd rather not get into the story with Gilbert...Ellen I'm not sure." She got up and started clearing the table.

"Oh," Sunny said, standing up and helping Amy clear the table. "She thinks that Gilbert and I might end up liking each other." 

Bonnie laughed at the statement.

"Well," Bonnie laughed lightly, "He hasn't had a girlfriend in a long time..." 

"That she knows of." Amy said under her breath to Sunny as they passed each other in the kitchen. Thankfully, Bonnie didn't hear the comment. Later, when Gilbert was busy giving Arnie a bath, the two girls sat talking in Sunny's room, and laughed about the comment. Sunny was already starting to feel at home here, even though Gilbert did betray her Uncle. Sunny couldn't help but wonder why the only guy to have her interest was the only one who would do such a thing. _Oh well,_ She thought, _I'll just invite Amy to watch me perform at the concert._


	5. Gilbert and Sunny

Sunny awoke to the sunlight pouring in through her window, warm on her face. She got up and threw on her robe, grabbing her beach towel and clothes. She put on her slippers and crept down the hall, into the bathroom. She shut the door and turned, seeing Gilbert standing at the sink, brushing his hair. Sunny opened the door, ready to leave as she mumbled a 'sorry'. Gilbert put down the brush and grabbed her arm gently.

"Don't leave." He said, pulling her into the bathroom completely. Sunny looked at him confused.

"Look," He began, trying to look her in the face, but Sunny wouldn't let him. 

"Look at me, Sunny, please. This is hard for me to do." He put his hand under her chin and raised her head slowly, just in time to catch a tear falling from her eye. "I'm sorry, Sunny. I really am." Sunny scoffed at the remark as she shifted her stuff into the other hand and wiped the tears from her eyes. 

"Oh yeah, like I'm going to believe that." She said in a hateful tone. Gilbert looked apologetic. He put a hand on her face.

"You really think I'd lie about something like that?" Sunny rolled her eyes and knocked his hand from her face. 

"I need to take a shower, let me through." She tried to push her way past him, but he caught her.

"I broke it off." 

Sunny took a few steps backward.

"You-You what?" She blinked numerous times, looking him in the eye.

"I broke it off, last night." Gilbert stared at her, waiting for a response. She blinked a couple more times, trying to take in all the information before speaking.

"W-why?" Gilbert moved in closer to her.

"Because one, it was wrong of me to be in that situation..." He took another step closer.

"And two..." He came face to face with her. 

"There's someone else I'm interested in." He put a hand on her cheek as he examined her face. Sunny opened her mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by Gilbert.

"Shhh." He said as he moved in and kissed her. 

It wasn't long before Ellen ventured up the stairs to get something from the bathroom, only to find her brother and the tenant standing there, exchanging saliva. Ellen gasped, backed away, and ran down the stars screaming for Amy. This startled Sunny, and she pulled away, only to be brought right back into Gilbert's grasp for another round of the 'lets-share-spit' game, as Sunny would call it.

"AMY! AMY! AMY! COME QUICK!" Ellen ran down the stairs, into the front room, passed Bonnie and into the kitchen where Amy was about to start breakfast. She turned from the stove to see Ellen run into the kitchen doorway and catch her breath. 

"What? What is it Ellen?"

Ellen took a deep breath and managed to get half a mutilated sentence out.

"Gilbert.... Sunny...up there..." Ellen sat on a chair next to the door and pointed up at the stairs as Amy left the room to go see what was going on.

Amy reached the bathroom only to find the door shut, locked, and the shower running. She turned and went into Gilbert's bedroom to find him sitting on his bed, reading a book. Gilbert looked up quickly and put the book down.

"Yeah? Breakfast ready? Or do you need help?" Gilbert sat there, looking at Amy, waiting for her response.

"Oh, no, that's ok...Where's Sunny?" 

"How should I know? The shower's running...maybe she's in there?" Gilbert picked his book back up and continued reading as Amy went back downstairs to resume her duty in the kitchen.

Sunny turned off the water and reached for her towel, drying herself off and then wrapping the towel around her hair. She got dressed in a pair of black flared jeans, a black peasant pucker tee, and a pair of black sandals. She returned her stuff to her room and grabbed her brush, brushing her hair as she walked down the steps. She could smell eggs, bacon and toast coming from the kitchen. _Ah...breakfast! _She thought. It smelled wonderful; Amy was an excellent cook. She got to the end of the staircase and finished brushing her hair, setting the brush on the table next to the staircase. She walked into the kitchen just in time to help Amy and Gilbert move the table into the front room. Gilbert went to get Arnie as Sunny and Ellen helped Amy put the food on the table. Within a few minutes, everyone was seated and began to eat. 

"So," Ellen said, swallowing a chunk of bacon as she spoke. "Gilbert has found a woman. About time." Gilbert started to choke on his milk, swallowed it fully, coughed a little bit, and then responded sternly to Ellen.

"Shut up, that is none of your business!" Ellen, of course, proceeded to argue.

"Well if you two weren't-" Gilbert cut her off.

"It's not your right to go around telling everyone my-"

"But you two were-"

"You shouldn't get into-"

"SHUT UP!" Amy stood up and screamed at the top of her lungs. "That's enough! Ellen, leave him alone!" Ellen rolled her eyes at Amy as she stood up and left the room. Bonnie sat there, staring at the three of them, pondering the goings on. Sunny stood up and cleared her plate. 

"I've got to get to work or I'll be late. Thanks for breakfast, Amy, it was delicious." She went upstairs and changed her shoes, came back downstairs and grabbed her purse and keys. Gilbert looked at his watch.

"We've got to get going too...You want a ride?" He directed the first part of his sentence to Arnie, then the last half to Sunny. Sunny shook her head.

"Thanks, but I've got my car. It was nice of you to offer." She opened the door as Gilbert continued.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, thanks." Sunny closed the door behind her.


End file.
